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The team behind the scenes

Posted by: Tom
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Posted date:
April 19, 2013 |
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I have been gradually building a team of volunteers for over a year and we now have a great small team of volunteers that are becoming more and more knowledgeable and competent in many practical countryside tasks. We are out everyday, whatever the weather and have achieved a huge amount of work over the last year. Paul and Marina, the full time volunteers at the Vean work with our team most days and are invaluable in helping me to train and motivate new volunteers on the job and also to drive a second vehicle which on many days with kit and team numbers is needed.

I hadn’t been taking many photos of the work we had done prior to a few months ago, the thing was when we turned up to a job we were all so eager to get started and focused on getting the work on the ground done, that taking photos and writing about it went out the window. I now realise that it’s important for people to see how hard we are all working and I am setting aside more time for this.

I will try to get a team photo of all of us together but I have 2 problems, it’s hard finding a day when everyone is in, as some of the volunteers have other commitments and secondly none of them really like having their picture taken. I’m working on that.

We have been doing huge amounts of work on the coast path, clearing and building new drains after all of that rain at Christmas. Hopefully we saved a few sections of coast path from becoming even more like a mud bath or completely washed away. We diverted and channeled a lot of water and got very muddy. Unfortunately, all of the work that we had completed to a great standard last year up on Carn Galva was vandalised and I think only a couple of gates remain much to the team’s frustration but we will persevere. We will keep building, hanging gates and repairing fences as we understand the value and importance of the work we are doing up there.

A big chunk of February was taken up on Chapel Carn Brae, clearing scrub. We helped Ranger Bob and contractors with brushcutting, raking and burning. We built glades and corridors across the site to comply with the Higher Level Stewardship work plans. The rest of the work is down to the ponies who followed in our footsteps very closely as we were working.

In between the larger jobs, we have constructed and repaired many fences, hedges, signs, and granite and wooden steps, pitched granite cross drains and much, much more.

I arranged for the team to get up to Lanhydrock for the day and we assisted them with Rhodedendron removal and burning. It was great to take the team to a new property and work with new people. Matt the head ranger up there has offered his teams assistance if we ever need it so rangers, bare that in mind!

Here are several photos showing some of the work we have completed recently, enjoy!

A granite sign now positioned at the entrance to Foage that Paul and myself cut out and positioned in November 2012.

Paul and Ollie at Porthminster Point installing some timber steps into what was a steep muddy section of the well used footpath.

We were putting in our first granite steps in a muddy, gullied section of coast path at Bosigran Cliff. That’s right, the fields were very wet so it all went down by hand. The wheel barrows were a slightly different shape after that day!

Steven (Our longest serving team member!) with Marina pitching in the end of the first step.

The finished article, nice knowing they will be there for many many years to come!

Steve and Josh installing a granite cross drain to divert water into a channel we have dug to sort out a very boggy section of path just down from our new offices at Bosigran Farm.

The finished article doing its job. One of a few drains we built in this area.

Ollie using Primrose (the power barrow), to supply our teams building the granite drains with the stone they needed.

Ollie, Steve and Paddy doing a hedging repair at Foage Farm.

Countryside team work party day. Lunch time at East Pool Mine.

I have also set up a Facebook group for the volunteers, most of the team members are now members of the group and it will be great for communicating with each other and organising social events etc. So if you are on Facebook, please “like” us and get in touch!